This article was originally published by VCU News.

They grew up in each other’s orbits. They each attended Collegiate School in Richmond. And the parents of James “Jed” Londrey, Anne Miller and Cristina Muncy aren’t just friends – they’re dentists.

“Anne’s dad took my wisdom teeth out,” Muncy said, laughing.

The younger generation is now following suit. Though Muncy, Miller and Londrey were peers in secondary school, it wasn’t until the three sat next to one another at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Dentistry that they became friends. This spring, they earn their D.D.S. degrees together.

Muncy recalled that on their first day of dental classes, seeing a familiar face helped them with the transition to their professional studies.

“I think dental school was a full-circle moment,” said Londrey, who earned his undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University.

During the first two years of dental school, all students have the same schedule. This gave the three plenty of time to get to know one another better. Londrey and Muncy were partners for their simulation lab course, in which students spend considerable time practicing dental work on manikins.

“We were right next to each other, so that was a great way for us to connect,” Londrey said.

Living a few blocks away from each other, he and Miller carpooled to school every day. The two would quiz each other on course materials while driving in and, on the way home, would commiserate or celebrate how they did on that day’s exam.

They sometimes would study with notes from Londrey’s now-fiancée, Lily Mlynarczyk. The couple started dating their first year at VCU and got engaged this past September.

“It’s a nice win after dental school,” he said of looking forward to marriage, “not to mention becoming a dentist.”

Miller, who earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University, was friends with Mlynarczyk before that romance bloomed, and she said it has been wonderful to see the relationship develop.

Miller and Muncy had some closer ties in their youth. In addition to swimming on the same team in their middle and high school years, their parents brought them on Mission of Mercy events supported by VCU’s School of Dentistry. The then-8- and 9-year-olds volunteered together in the children’s tent.

In dental school, Miller and Muncy became leaders within MOM, which brings oral care to underserved areas of Virginia. As student coordinators, the two helped identify peers to provide dental services at clinics and oversaw logistics. The six-hour trip from Richmond to Wise County in Southwest Virginia also gave the two plenty of time to bond.

“It’s always funny to look back – you never would have guessed that 20 years later, we would be in the position that we are now,” said Muncy, who earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia.

“I will take [those memories] with me forever,” Miller added.

For the older generation, Londrey said the trio’s parents were excited to see the three children attend VCU together, become friends and now enter the world of dentistry. Muncy’s father, James L. Muncy, D.D.S., has had a special perspective: As an assistant professor of prosthodontics at VCU, he has seen their growth firsthand – all dental students have the same professors for their courses, so all three were taught by him.

“The VCU School of Dentistry curriculum is incredibly challenging and involves an understanding of medical sciences as well as hand skill and patient care,” the elder Muncy said. “I am extremely proud of all of their drive, focus and determination to complete their requirements.”

Cristina Muncy said she enjoyed learning from her father, and that while she knows him as a jokester, she embraced seeing him work with students in a professional setting. (To avoid the appearance of impropriety, her father had another faculty member grade his daughter’s work.)

Over the past year, Muncy, Miller and Londrey have been getting experience in dental clinics, and next year, they will be in separate states. Muncy will do her residency in Asheville, North Carolina, and Miller is doing hers at UT Health San Antonio. Londrey plans to start practicing dentistry immediately at his father’s practice here in Richmond.

Even as graduation separates them, the three said that, like their parents, their friendship will transcend dental school and endure into their careers.

“What excites me is the fact that we’ll be able to use dentistry as a relationship to help each other with our patient care,” Londrey said, “but also be able to enjoy the relationships outside of it.”